


Lost and Found

by TwistedSamurai



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, Black Markets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Torture, Missing in Action, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slavery, Turkfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24152662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedSamurai/pseuds/TwistedSamurai
Summary: Recognizing some of the names on the files in front of him, Tseng goes out with Elena on a mission to Wutai. Even though he was marked as a traitor during the war, he doesn't want the other Turks to get hurt if things go sour before they can get the information they need to collect.But what is going to happen to him, when those who think he betrayed them find him on the streets?
Relationships: Reno/Rufus Shinra, Reno/Rufus Shinra/Tseng, Reno/Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Rufus Shinra/Tseng
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. Captured

“I’ll take this mission on personally, Mr. President.” Tseng had stared at the file in front of him, and he didn’t look up as cobalt blue eyes snapped over to stare at him. “I know this section of Wutai like the back of my hand. I can handle this.” Never mind any of the rebuilding they might have done. He could feel the frown Rufus had on his face.

“Tseng. I do not like you going out into the field like this. Especially with Wutai having you branded a traitor for siding with us.” A hand had touched his arm, but Tseng shook his head to shake away that worry. He knew that Rufus was right, it was reckless. More like Reno kind of reckless, than his own calm and planned nature.

But, going up against Wutai had been something he did not want the others getting involved in- and he had been rather clear that these things were something for the army to handle, not his department. He may have been called disloyal to Shinra for it, at times, but the people who muttered it quickly shut up when either the other Turks or the President were around. They still circulated, though, and they still made their way back to Tseng's ears.

Besides, Tseng had never been one to get reckless, or careless, or _hurt _on missions like this. He had always been so careful. So, this one would be just as easy. Rufus didn’t have any real reason to argue with him as he shot down every one of the blonde’s protests. He needed to do this. For himself- not for Shinra. He could tell the way Rufus’ brow furrowed that he understood it as well.__

__He wasn’t going to let the comments get him down- but they had admittedly gotten under his skin and he knew he had to do something. So that was why when Rufus had spoken with him about this mission, he had demanded to be the one to take it- and pushed until Rufus had no choice but to agree. It was far to dangerous, and he wasn’t going to sit idly by while he sent out some of the others to a what could potentially be a war zone if the people he saw named were on the streets. He knew Wutai rather well, and with Elena he had thought he had a better chance._ _

__Setting out, both Rufus and Reno had made him promise a daily text when he could- even if it was right before bed or first thing in the morning. They just wanted to know he was alright. He assured them both it was going to be okay, even leaning in to kiss their cheeks. He knew Elena wouldn’t say anything about it, and there was no one of the helipad or around when they had left before dawn._ _

__He’d seen Reno waving a hand and Rufus simply watching them when they’d taken off. Flying in the dark was something that was extremely dangerous, but it wasn’t too long before the sun rose overhead, and he idly chatted with the blonde beside him. He and Elena got along pretty well, and the Director had to admit they were a good team out in the field. Their conversations trailed from work, to Tseng’s cat, to what exactly would happen in the office now that Tseng wasn’t there to reign Reno in or stop Rufus’ rash decisions, to even just how the weather was for flying._ _

__Landing in Wutai was easy enough. But the crowded streets were quick to be a problem as they made their way through them, trying to keep each other in sight and play the tourist by looking at this shop or that. It was easy for them to play it up and the first couple days went by smoothly, with Tseng sending brief messages and checking up on both his partners. He didn’t call them, either too tired or busy to chat much more, but they both seemed to understand._ _

__But, luck didn’t seem to hold out for them, when they entered a market area._ _

__He’d been caught, plain and simple. Separated from Elena in a crowd and when he’d tried to locate her, he’d been spotted by some men who knew the brunette. They were far more than a little loyal to Wutai as a whole, and since the Director had been branded as a traitor, he’d been cornered by a large group._ _

__“You’re the reason we lost everything.” Tseng had almost scoffed at their attempt. He’d easily taken down the first few men who had tried to grab him, but for every person he took down, someone else seemed to jump in. He wasn’t sure how long he managed to stand for until something connected with the back of his knees with a metallic thunk and something else was swung at the side of his head._ _

__His only hope as his leg buckles and his vision went black, was that Elena was alright. And that she would make it home safely._ _


	2. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'd been gone for a little over a week, missing for no more than a few weeks.

The screen flashed in front of Reno, basically the only source of light in Tseng’s office. The door to the Directors office had been left open, since he had left it unlocked when he had gone out this time and Reno had lost the keys to it the second day. Rufus had simply told him to leave it open a little, and taken anything extremely important to his own office.

If anyone made their way down to the Directors office- Reno refused to see it as his own- all they would see was the screen up, Tseng’s file open in front of the red head who was staring at the words with a blank, empty expression. It almost looked like he couldn’t comprehend the words that were in front of him, even though he’d been there since the first day it had come up.

**_MIA_ **

The bold red letters seemed to almost taunt him, flashing across the bottom of Tseng’s photo as if to show that the red head couldn’t stop it. Just like he hadn’t been able to stop Tseng from going.

**_MIA_ **

Tseng had gone out on a mission, despite the red heads protests that he and Rude could have totally handled it themselves. It was one he had been insistent on doing, because of how high the risk was to the others. But Reno had heard all the snarky remarks that had been made and he knew Tseng had a more personal reason for going. So, he’d agreed to do his job, take up command while Tseng was way.

He’d gone with Elena, but the duo had been separated at some point, leaving Elena to call for backup to come and get her. Reno had been the first to check in on her, to see if she knew where Tseng was or what had happened. But she’d been hurt pretty badly and seemed even more shaken up when Reno had explained that Tseng hadn’t made any contact with them, or any of their sources in the area. She hadn’t come back into the office yet. Reno didn’t blame her.

**_MIA_ **

He wanted to scream, cry- something. But all he could do was stare, the words imprinted into his brain now as he looked at Tseng’s stern face.

**_MIA_ **

Tseng had never called in. Not answered a single text, call, or anything that was sent to him. When Reno had gone home for the first while Pagoda had been wailing at him that it was only him. Now she didn’t even try to pick a fight with Reno, simply tried to curl up with him when he was home to give her food or check on her. His gaze trailed over to the words beside Tseng’s photo. Even though he knew them by heart.

**_MIA_ **  
**_Director Tseng of the Administration department. Current status: Missing in Action. Last know location: [Classified]_ **  
**_MIA_ **

Rufus had sent out so many people to look for him, to try and find the man. Even when he had agreed to put Tseng as MIA on the files, he was still demanding people look again, and again. At first the blonde had refused Reno’s help in looking for their shared partner and tried to keep himself distracted with work to avoid the fight he knew was coming his way by the sounds of everyone else talking about the red head.  
But when Reno had barged into the office, he’d been unable to hide behind his papers, as the red head scattered them with a wave of his hand, pushing the other back a bit in his seat.

“So, you gonna tell me why the fuck you sent him out there, Rufus?” Reno demanded, sitting in front of Rufus on the desk, one hand between his spread legs and tapping his mag rod against his foot as he watched Rufus. The other was drumming on his thigh as he fought the urge to demand things again.

“Reno, you know Tseng demanded to go on this mission himself. He had personal re-“ Rufus had started with that same slow tone he had used when he’d told Reno no the first time.

“Fuck off with that Rufus. Our boyfriend is out there fucking who knows what- he could be dead.” Reno snarled. “Give. Me. Permission. To go look for him.”  
“…. No.” Rufus held up a hand to quiet Reno. “I will not lose both of you. Send out teams. But stay here. Please. I need you.” He added gently, knowing that just the tone of his voice would give Reno pause. He wasn’t one to go above using emotions like this.  
He was right. Reno had been unable to reply to that tone and he simply stalked out of the office, slamming the door loudly behind him.

**_MIA_ **

Reno was now in charge, completely. That was unspoken. Rufus kept him close as he dared without pulling the red head away from his own work after their argument. Most of the Turks avoided the red head when it came to mentioning the Director after Rufus had had him declared missing in action anyways. At one point at recruit had come with a failed report and  
Rude had stopped outside the door as the man ran out terrified of the red head who had snapped at him.  
“The fuck do you want?” Reno pause as he lifted his head to look at Rude. His partner had simply shaken his head and kept walking, leaving Reno to curse and toss his coffee across the office, watching the cup shatter against the wall. He didn’t bother for clean up.

**_Current status: Missing in Action._ **

Reno’s phone buzzed on the desk, the screen lighting up as it fully came through. Unknown number. It wasn't Rufus, he noted as he slowly picked it up. His body felt like lead as he stared, seeing the notification for a new message pop up as it rang. It almost seemed to be getting louder, more insistent with every buzz.  
Rufus had texted Reno a few times already with reminders to try and eat or to try to sleep. Reno knew the president needed to get some rest, and food, and he wasn't getting it either. It annoyed him that Rufus would send him reminders, but any reminders that were sent his way were ignored with total indifference on the president’s part.

**_Last know location: [Classified]_ **

Reno let the number go to voicemail but frowned as his phone buzzed once again, with the same number. “Determined bastards… What.” He grumbled as he answered.  
“Hello?” The woman on the other end- no fucking way. Reno held his breath for a moment. “Are you… Looking for someone? I found this number at the top of his phone.”  
“Who are you?” He demanded. “Where is he?” He stood up, not caring how loud he was now. “Did you fucking touch him?”

“He’s in the Sector Seven slums. Come to Seventh Heaven tomorrow morning.” Tifa replied before hanging up, and Reno stared. He immediately stood up and grabbed at his coat but paused.

“Tomorrow… Fuck, I might as well just…” He dialed Rufus’ number as he stepped out and headed for the elevator. “Boss.” He didn’t even wait for Rufus to say hello. “I’m on my way up. You and I are taking a trip tomorrow.


	3. If You Won't Go With Me I Go Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of where Tseng is, and then Reno having another arguement with Rufus about getting their partner back

“The one we caught? He’s under a lot of drugs- had to use ‘em to keep the man subdued, y’know? He was pretty tough be beat down. Shinra dog likes to fight back.”

Tseng’s eyes fluttered as he heard the voice talking, but he couldn’t full register what was being said as he felt arms lift him up. His entire body felt heavy- how were these people even moving him? The brunette’s head hung forward as he was dragged across the ground.

“Yeah…. From what we got of his ID, he’s some high up rank.” Tseng groaned as he was pulled further up to his feet. Whatever drugs they had mentioned using had him to weak to stand on his own, but the next words he heard had him lifting his head a little bit, becoming a bit more aware as his blood ran cold.

“Yeah. He’ll make us a shit ton on the market. Lots of people are going to look into buying him.”

Buying him. He lifted his head a little as a door opened and he was tossed inside. His body was still too heavy to do much, and he groaned quietly, trying to stand but found he could barely move a muscle, let alone push himself to his feet. His eyes closed again as he heard footsteps approaching, and something pricked his skin. Tseng tried to move slightly, but found he was quickly getting tired, as he tried to protest, only letting out a low noise.

“Tie him up… Then we can…” Whatever was being said faded into black as Tseng fell unconscious again.

\-----------------------------------------

Reno didn’t know what to think. Rufus stared back at him from across the desk, watching the hands that were slammed down onto his desk with a cool indifference that, quite frankly, had Reno ready to jump the desk. The way his jaw was clenched, and the tired circles under his eyes, showed very clearly he was currently just as annoyed at Reno.

“The fuck do you mean you aren’t gonna come with me?” Reno demanded after a few moments of silence, bright blue eyes glaring into cobalt blue as Rufus considered his next words carefully here.

“Reno. You going down is acceptable, I already said you can. But for me, as the President, to go down there? You think that’s going to go over well?” He asked calmly, looking over the red head.

As much as he wanted to go down with Reno, and see that Tseng was alright- hear his voice, touch him, hold him- he knew he was right here. Besides, something wasn’t sitting right with him. Why had Tseng not called them himself? Why was he in the slums? Rufus had sent him to Wutai, not Sector Seven. Reno’s reply had him snapping out of his own thoughts.

“Fuck what your god damn position is boss! He’s your boyfriend too, isn’t he? Shouldn’t you come with me to see if he’s alright?” Reno spat. He was angry, relieved, and exhausted. It was the middle of the night, sure, but Tseng was safe. He was within reach, and Reno would see him in the morning. Hell, he knew he could head down now and see those brown eyes focus on him. See Tseng and know he was breathing, and alive.

“… Go down there and get him first thing tomorrow morning, Reno. Bring him back to my home when you do.” Rufus said firmly, his tone holding no room for an argument. Or, it should have. Reno was always one to toe the line- even jump right over it at times.

“Listen, boss. I’m gonna bring him home, and I’m gonna put him in bed until he gets better. He ain’t coming into the office you got it?” Reno said firmly, before storming out. He slammed the door behind him, making it a few steps down the hall before checking his phone.

A small sigh passed his lips as he sent Rufus a text letting him know when he would leave in the morning before making his way back to Tseng’s office. He had a few things to clean up, before the director returned to work. And he needed to give Pagoda some dinner, he realized as he checked the time. Maybe a shower when he got back would help.


	4. Lies and the Beginnings of a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reno makes his way down and has a chat with Tifa about Tseng.

“You fuckin lied to me?” Reno slammed a hand onto the bar, and Tifa cleared her throat, looking both uncomfortable and apologetic. That only irked him even more, and he grit his teeth, before slumping into the seat.

“Look, Reno, I’m sorry. I do know where he is, but I couldn’t just say that over the phone!” She explained, returning to mixing the drink for Reno. Despite how early it was in the morning, Reno took it from her and easily finished it, setting the cup not gently down on the counter. “If I had said that I didn’t have him, but I knew his location and you needed to come down here to learn it, would you have listened?”

Reno stared at the empty cup in front of him and sighed heavily as he nodded. She was right. If she’d told him to come to the bar to find out where Tseng was, he would have come with soldiers, and probably started a fight of some kind without waiting for her to explain. He waved a hand for her to continue, resting his chin on the other.

“… I’m sorry, again.” Tifa replied. “But my sources have said someone was being dragged into the items are for the Black Market that happens in Wall Market. And he matches Tseng’s description. Besides…” She paused before setting a slightly bloody id card and phone on the counter in front of him. “We found them when we were out on patrol.” She added quietly, carefully watching the red head reaction.

Reno didn’t say a word at first, simply stared at the card, and the picture of Tseng on it. His body was ice cold now. Tseng would never leave his id, or his phone. Ever. Reno had a good feeling he had purposely dropped them in hopes that someone would find them, or that they had been recklessly thrown aside. Either way he reached out, picking it up and staring at the photo.

“… You got a way to get me in there?” He asked after the silence had dragged on, trying to ignore the blood on the card. He knew it was Tseng's, but he didn't want to think about how badly his partner was hurt. “I can get him out before that stupid auction shit they got going tonight.”

“No… Not before the auction. It’s always heavily guarded- I know, you can probably handle it, but it’s still not a good risk to take, since we don’t know how Tseng is. If he’s hurt or…” She trailed off for a moment as Reno’s expression darkened with the thought. “Your best bet would be to get in there, and then buy him.”

“…. Buy him?” Reno echoed. “… There’s no way we could do that…” He trailed off. Rufus could, definitely. But the problem was convincing the blonde to come down. After their chat the night before, he seriously doubted that Rufus would be alright with it.

“I can get you in, Reno, don’t worry about that. You just need to make sure you have the money for it.” Tifa assured.

“… Why’re you bein so nice, Tifa? You know we’re the enemy here right?” Reno said quietly. He knew what Tifa was hiding in her bar- and from the way she frowned, she knew that he knew this too. Rude still had the huge crush on her, though, so he hadn’t done anything about it. Besides, he enjoyed the brunette’s drinks when he had time to slip down to the bar.

“… I haven’t seen you here all week, and… Besides, Reno. Enemies or not, I don’t want to see your friends hurt. Or, whatever you may be.” She replied softly, taking the empty cup and grabbing a cloth. “So. Whats it gonna be, Reno?”

“…. Let me call Rufus then. We can get Tseng out tonight.” Reno replied after a moment. “But before I do… Think you can make a Cosmos Canyon?”


	5. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rufus and Reno head down to get Tseng back, and Reno fights the urge to start a fight.

Reno shifted his footing, standing beside Rufus’ chair as he looked out over the auction house. He didn’t know why the blonde had agreed to such a ridiculous idea- but he knew that between the two ideas they did have for getting Tseng out, this was by far the best one they could come up with.

“Reno, stop fidgeting.” Rufus said calmly, looking like he belonged in the balcony seat he was in. Reno frowned a bit, glancing at him before looking at the stage again as another stolen art piece was sold off. So far, nothing had been too bad or shocking. It was all stolen artifacts, rare materia, or other important items. There was no mention of Tseng even being sold at all.

Reno had called Rufus the moment he’d finished his drink, heading into one of the backrooms of the bar as more customers had come in. Tifa didn’t shoo him out, or force him to hide, but he could tell they were curious about him. He didn’t need any unwanted attention, especially now that he had to talk to the blonde into coming with him down to the slums- and not just any part of the slums but a rather dangerous part of it.

“Where is he.” Rufus demanded the moment he picked up, and Reno faintly heard the door click shut as someone left the office. Trust Rufus to kick someone out without any warning, he thought.

“Not with me.” Reno fell silent at the curses from Rufus, pursing his lips. “Boss- Boss shut up a minute.” He hissed, one arm resting on the wall above his head. “He’s fine, he’s alive, that’s what I know. He was taken to some shit Black Market. They’re gonna try and sell him off.”

“Then raid it and get him out.” Rufus snapped. “Why are you calling to tell me this, Reno.”

“Because I can’t yo. I just got info that he’s beaten half to shit boss. Probably drugged too. There’s no way we can just barge in and get him out! The only idea other than possibly losing him is for you to come with me and buy him.”

There was a long minute of silence, possibly the longest Reno had ever gone through. He held his breath, listening intently for Rufus’ voice, and it all came out in a loud exhale as he spoke. “Fine. I’ll have my evening cleared for this. Rude will come with us. Inform him.”

“Reno. Focus.” Rufus’ voice cut into Reno’s thoughts, and he looked at the stage to see Tseng being brought up. Rufus’ hand grabbed his stopped him from leaping off their balcony and lunging at the men carrying him.

Tseng’s hair was a messy, hanging around his bare shoulders were his shirt was torn. The Director’s jacket was completely gone, and his tie was loose around his neck, a bit ripped even from this distance. His hands were tied behind his back, and he barely resisted as he was pushed to his knees in the center of the stage. Reno felt his blood boil as he took in the torn clothes, the way Tseng- his boss, his boyfriend- was so compliant.

“Next, a rare treat for everyone here! A Turk from Shinra. Compliant now but he’s still got some fight in him, we promise. Shall we start the bidding?” The numbers that people were bidding at Reno sick to his stomach, and he glanced at Rufus repeatedly when the blonde didn’t even raise his hand, his gaze focused on Tseng.

“Boss.” Reno whispered, but cut off as Rufus finally raised his hand, his voice cutting through the shouted numbers with cool indifference.

“Twenty-five billion gil.” He said, beating out the top bid by more than triple, and the room fell silent as everyone tried to tell where the voice had come from.

“I- Well! Anyone else? Any higher bids? No? Sold to you good sir!” The auctioneer stammered. There was no way others would bid more. There was no try for it, either, as Rufus stood up and silently made his way to pay for Tseng, Reno trailing behind him and glancing back to see Tseng stumble off the stage, his blood rising again but this time mixed with sadness.

He was going to take care of Tseng, until he was better. Then he would berate him for taking Elena and not him on this mission, he decided as Rufus handed the cheque over, he man nearly dropping it once he saw the name on it.

“M-Mr. President. Ah… You ah…” He cleared his throat as Rufus glared.

“If I ever have to return because you try to sell what’s mine again, I will be giving you a bullet, not a cheque.” He hissed as Tseng was brought out to them. “Get Rude to bring the car around front. I want to get out of this disgusting place.” He ordered Reno, taking a knife out of his pockets and slicing through the binds on Tseng’s arms.

“Rufus?” Tseng nearly collapsed against the blonde, and Rufus held him tightly, whispering softy into his hair as Reno called Rude, ordering him to bring the car around. Tseng moved one hand to grip Rufus’ shoulder, his face buried in the blonde’s neck. “Rufus I-”

“If you apologize even once I will have you fired.” Rufus said, wrapping Tseng’s arm around his shoulders. He had a brief thought that the brunette had done the same for him, before. Dragged him out of deadly situations, a strong arm around Rufus’ waist and holding his hand over his shoulder. Now it was his turn to do so for Tseng.

“Rude’s ready to go.” Reno hung up, and Rufus nodded before starting to walk, taking it slow even though he just wanted to run back to his bedroom with Tseng in his arms, to hold him and whisper how he was sorry for ever agreeing to send Tseng out into the field.

“Let me help.” Reno took Tseng’s other arm, and the two carried him out to the car together. Not a word was said between them, or even to Rude as he drove them back up onto the plate. Tseng had passed out, leaning on Rufus’ shoulder, and the president didn’t even look over, just took his coat and wrapped it around Tseng’s shoulder’s tightly, before holding him closer and staring out the window.


	6. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tseng finally wakes up, and Rufus and Reno are there the moment he opens his eyes.

Tseng’s eyes slowly opened. The first thing he was aware of was the blankets on top of him, and the soft whisper of voices off to the side. He went to speak up, a shudder ran through him the moment he opened his mouth, and he rolled to the side, seeking the edge of the bed. There was a small curse and a pair of hands pulling his hair back as another person set a bucket just in time.

Tseng didn’t push either of them away as he puked, barely registering the hand rubbing his back and the soothing whispers a cold cloth was pressed to his forehead. He didn't have move more energy than the amount it took to hurl.

“Reno, get the doctor again.” Rufus’ voice rang through the haze in Tseng’s mind as he finally managed to take a few deep breaths. The cloth and hand on his back disappeared as Reno left the room, and Tseng fell back against the sheets when hands moved him gently, Rufus' voice coaxing him to lay down.

“Where am I?” He asked softly as he finally focused on Rufus, seeing the blonde leaning over his with concern. Tseng felt a pang of emotion go through his heart as he saw the dark circles under Rufus's eyes and how the blonde seemed like he hadn't slept in weeks. There was an urge to reach up and touch him. Both to make sure he wasn't dreaming and to try and push away the bags, as if he could. He started to do it before Rufus moved.

“You’re safe, Tseng. You’re home.” Rufus sat on the edge of the bed, urging the exhausted man to sit up and drink some water, lifting the cup to Tseng's lips as he drank. “Rinse your mouth. That’s it. Good boy.” He whispered, petting Tseng’s hair as Reno came back in with who Tseng could only presume was the doctor as Rufus handed him the cup.

“If he’s throwing up it’s just his body cleaning out the drugs. He should be fine in a day or two. If it keeps happening though, you’ll need to be concerned about it.” Tseng looked between the three as Rufus nodded, still petting his hair. The motion was extremely soothing, he started to relax more and more into it with each movement of the blonde's fingers. Even still, so many questions burned on his tongue, but he held them back- not really able to speak as another wave of nausea hit him and he was leaning over the side of the bed again. He groaned a bit as Reno rubbed his back.

“What do we do? Just keep getting him to drink water until it’s all out?” Reno asked. Tseng missed the doctor’s reply as he coughed, closing his eyes to think for a moment. He didn’t remember taking any drugs- he never had before, even on a job. When had he taken something? He was in Wutai, with Elena. He thought slowly as he took the water offered to him with a mumbled thanks. They had been separated, he had turned down a street for some reason and-

Ah. The prick of something on his skin. That was it then, he realized. He’d been drugged. He remembered the cold floors, being dragged along. People talking about prices, and he’d been unable to protest them, since he was feeling so heavy. But everything else was a blur he just couldn't focus on, it only drew pain to his body. Glancing down he realized not only was he shirtless, but there were bandages and bruises all over his torso. At least that explained why it was hard to breathe, he noted.

“Tseng.” Reno whispered in his ear, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. “Doc’s gonna check you over once more, okay? Just lay back.” Tseng glanced at him as he took the water to go refill it, and lay back, relaxing as he focused on Rufus now, letting the doctor peel off all the current bandages and replaced them again. The blonde’s eyes never left the doctor, eyeing every touch that was placed on him. Tseng normally protested being coddled and looked after, but right now he let it happen, simply staring at Rufus. Even when those cobalt blue eyes met his own, he didn’t turn away, his tired brown softening a bit.

Rufus was quiet until the doctor left, and he saw them out of the room, before crawling into the bed and burying his face in Tseng’s neck. He didn’t move as an arm wrapped around him, Tseng reaching up pat his head just as had been done for him moments ago.

“Where am I?” He felt like that was something he had already asked, and Rufus lifted his head a bit with a frown forming on his lips. He must have asked it already.

“Tseng… You’re home.” He murmured, frown deepening and he brushed the few long strands hair out of his face. A brief paused, before he seemed to decide something and leaned over to press a small kiss to Tseng’s lips. “You were almost lost completely-… Reno and I got you.” He swallowed as he finished his sentence quickly.

“You did?” Tseng frowned. He couldn’t remember- his head hurt too much thinking about it. The haze was settling in again- he was tired he realized. But more than that other emotions were bubbling up. “I…”

“You were drugged, we don’t expect you to.” Reno set the cup down beside the bed, and Tseng looked over as the red head climbed into the bed, cuddling up to Rufus’ back and hugging him. Tseng smiled a bit, as Reno tilting Rufus’ head to kiss him gently and murmur something against his lips.

“Reno-… I’m fine. Tseng’s the one who needs to sleep.” Rufus muttered, and that earned him an eye roll and a scoff. “Wha-”

“Boss since he came home yesterday you haven’t slept at all.” Reno retorted. Tseng frowned deeply. He had been here a whole day? He caught Reno looked at him, and his lips parted to ask, but Reno beat him to it. “You were really drugged up, and out of it. You nearly hit someone. You don’t remember any of that? You haven’t done much more than lay here and sleep…” He frowned as Tseng shook his head.

“You’re fine, the doctor said. But you’ll need to take time off until you’ve gotten over this. They said it’s a comedown.” Rufus explained, and Tseng hummed softly, nodding. “You’re going to be fine.” He added again. All three of them knew it wasn’t to reassure Tseng, however.

“Thank you. I’m… Sorry.” He added, raising his hand as both of them went to protest. “I worried you both. That’s why I’m apologizing.” He said quietly, and they exchanged a glanced before Reno leaned over to press a brief kiss to his lips.

“You gotta try and relax, for the next bit. I’ll make you a snack and Rufus can get a shower going.” Reno offered, and Tseng mumbled agreement. “Good. I’ll go find those gluten-free biscuit things that you like at the store.” Reno was off the bed in seconds, and Rufus huffed as he left, curling back into Tseng.

“You don’t want a shower yet, do you?” He asked, and Tseng shook his head.

“No… Let me just…” He hugged Rufus closer, taking a deep breath. “Let me just hold you for a little. I can shower when Reno gets back.” He mumbled softly into his hair, not closing his eyes as he felt Rufus chuckle against his skin, pressing closer.

“I’ll allow you to hold me as long as you want to, tonight.” Rufus muttered, hugging back tightly and burying his face in Tseng’s neck, finally closing his eyes. Tseng stayed awake as the blonde fell asleep, snoring softy.

For the first time since he’d become Director of the Turks, Tseng let himself cry, hugging Rufus against him and keeping his small sobs as quiet as he could so he wouldn’t wake the exhausted man in his arms.

He was home- he was safe. He wasn’t going anywhere.


	7. Back Burner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rufus wakes up in the middle of the night, and finds something missing from his bed. He finds that someone out on the balcony with an empty expression and a smoke between his fingers.

Rufus stirred a bit, waking to a warm arm around his shoulders, cool sheets around him, and slightly damn hair. The made him pause as he reached up to touch it before realizing Tseng’s cheeks were a little tear stained, and he brushed his fingers over them slowly, a small frown on the blonde’s lips. He heard Tseng’s soft wheezing breath and wished for a moment he had shut down Tseng’s request to go to Wutai the moment it happened. If he had known that this was going to be the outcome, he never would have let Tseng leave the office. 

Pushing his regrets aside Rufus carefully untangled himself from the injured Turk, carefully getting up. Reno should have come back and complained they didn’t listen. He had fallen asleep for a bit, he realized as he looked out the window. A small frown was on his lips as he made ran a hand through his hair, glancing down at his bare chest for a moment before making his way over to the window to stare out. Reno must have come into the room at some point, he noted. His suit had been taken off him- Rufus was surprised with how Tseng had been holding him so close that Reno had managed to strip him- and he sighed softly, shaking his head a bit as he looked back at the unmoved body on his sheets. 

Cobalt blue eyes trailed over Tseng’s body- Rufus could swear he noticed new marks every time he looked over him. Standing with nothing more than the moonlight in the room to illuminate the Leader of the Turks, Rufus noted just how pale Tseng looked. His lips were parted as he slept, the arm that had been around Rufus laying in the warmth where he once was. His gaze trailed down a little further, noting how the arm in the brace was laying on his stomach, and Rufus found that as much as he wanted to walk over and move it so it wouldn’t injure any of the wounds on his torso, he was rooted to the spot, unable to take a step closer. 

It’s your fault he’s hurt like this. You can’t handle even sending the right Turk’s out into the field when you’re given that task. How do you expect to do anything for Shinra? To fix the problems from the past? Tseng is hurt because of you- Reno isn’t even in the room with the two of you because he’s still angry. Rufus squeezed his eyes shut at the thoughts that plagued his mind- covering his eyes and leaning on the window, feeling the cold glass press against him. If he anything within reach he probably would have thrown it. Since his father had died he’d heard it- that taunting, arrogant tone in the back of his head telling him he was not good enough. 

This time, though, he didn’t have a meeting or paperwork to distract him. It was the middle of the night, he was alone. Alone in a large, empty bedroom with his own thoughts, and the feeling that something- or more exactly, someone- was missing. 

Rufus usually slept between Reno and Tseng, curled up against the leader of the Turks, while Reno was behind him, their legs all tangled. It would usually make Rufus sweat, the way they were cuddling, but he had always felt so safe between his partners. Now, seeing only dark brown hair sprawled out across the sheets and not a single strand of red mingling with it on the sheets felt wrong. 

Rufus muttered under his breath, moving past the bed towards the balcony. He stopped as he realized it was wide open, the doors propped open to let the same cold that had been on the window into the room. 

But that wasn’t what caught Rufus’ attention. It was the red head currently leaning back on the balcony railing, elbows on the no doubt cold stone as he stared at Rufus with an almost unreadable expression. Rufus swallowed slightly as he realized Reno had been there the whole time, an unfinished cigarette between his long fingers drawing Rufus’ attention when he flicked it with his thumb. His eyes watched the embers fall, unsure what to say here. 

The last time he had spoken to Reno one on one, before they had gone to get Tseng, was when he had demanded to be the one to look for the man. Rufus had shut him down quickly, refused to let him leave, and Reno had refused to even look at him for that, pulling fully away. Rufus realized with a sinking feeling as he met Reno’s empty gaze that they had had that argument on the same balcony that Reno was standing on. 

Reno moved slowly, putting his smoke between his lips and grabbing the pack beside him, not taking his gaze off Rufus as he silently offered one of the smokes, finally raising an eyebrow a little. Rufus took a deep breath as he moved forward, grabbing one and leaning in when Reno held up the lighter, not offering a thanks as Reno lit it for him before setting the lighter down again. 

Rufus was usually fine with silence- in fact he often preferred it- but the way Reno was so focused on him had him taking the cigarette out of his mouth to speak, huffing a bit and waving the smoke away from Reno’s face in apology. “... Reno-” 

“... I was right.” Reno said softly, and Rufus paused, falling silent as he let the usually loud and emotion filled Turk speak. Reno’s voice was soft- controlled even- and was something that no one really heard unless things were bad. Rufus wished more than anything that Reno would drop the walls he’d seemed to suddenly put up. “He was hurt. And his attackers... I spent the night lookin’ for em, boss. Any hints I could pick up, so that I could bring em in and make them pay for this shit. I found nothing. Not even a fuckin whisper.” 

Rufus reached out, putting a hand on Reno’s chest, and finally the cold exterior faded. The empty expression faded as Reno slumped back even further into the balcony railing, a scowl on his lips as he looked towards the bed. The moons light through the window seemed to put a pale spotlight on Tseng, who was sleeping as peaceful as he could be while they talked. Rufus suspected that even if they did raise their voices, it wouldn’t even cause him to stir. 

“Reno, you should have come to bed.” Rufus spoke up, taking a long drag of his smoke and letting it out slowly. He wasn’t sure what else to say here. The CEO of the company, President of basically the world, and he couldn’t even comfort his partner. Rufus had just last week given a speech on a possible renewable energy source, to replace mako, despite the disbelief surrounding it. He’d even spoken with Reeve on the matter more, about rebuilding. 

But he couldn’t seem to say the right words to Reno, whose face went from an almost pitied and upset expression for Tseng, to an annoyed scowl. “Yeah, sure. Crawl into bed and let those bastards get even further away. Rufus-... Look, just go back to bed.” He muttered, turning around to stare up the stars. 

“No.” Rufus muttered, wrapping his arms around Reno’s waist and holding the red head despite his small huff. “... I’ll send Rude out to continue looking. I have meetings all morning, and Tseng needs a constant watch. Besides. You need also need to get some rest.” He ignored the beginnings of a protest from the body he was pressed against, shaking his head. “This is an order, Reno. You’re watching Tseng tomorrow.” He spoke sternly. 

“Fine.” Reno growled irritably. “Put me on the back burner again, yo. Whatever. Like I ca-” 

Rufus did not want to hear that again. He quickly turned Reno around as he tossed his smoke aside, pressing the red head back against the railing he’d been leaning on and kissing him. He heard Reno’s low noise of shock before he was kissing back, a hand tugging Rufus’ hair back as he let out a shaky breath. “Wha-” Rufus put a finger on his lips to stop him. 

“I’m not. Putting you on a back burner. Get that idiotic idea out of your head.” Rufus hissed as Reno tugged him back, keeping his gaze focused on the red head as he trailed his fingers along the others jaw. “I nearly lost one of you and I was not losing both. If it means you hate me that fine, but I do not regret keeping you from going.” 

“Hate-…. You really are stupid.” Reno muttered before finally wrapping his arm around Rufus and pulling him even closer before kissing him again, whispering again his lips. “You think I would have come back and made sure you were both comfortable because you decided to sleep in your clothes if I was mad at you?” 

“Well, maybe.” Rufus almost laughed as Reno silenced him with another kiss, pulling his hair a bit more. The small chuckle that had built up faded into a low moan as he opened his eyes. “... Reno-” 

“Wait.” Reno looked past Rufus, letting go of him and Rufus looked over to see Tseng had started to stir. Rufus sighed a bit at the interruption on the heart to heart, but he had no choice but to follow Reno as the red head half ran to the bed, leaning over Tseng. He felt guilty at the fact he didn’t want the interruption- he could always talk to Reno again later. He leaned over a bit as Tseng mumbled his name. 

“I’m here.” He whispered, touching Tseng’s cheek and smiling a bit as he relaxed into the touch, smiling a bit. Reno resisted the urge to lean in and place a kiss on his lips- as much as he wanted to cuddle up and kiss every inch of Tseng, he knew it wasn’t a good idea to risk hurting him even more. 

“So, it wasn’t just a dream.” Brown eyes filled with sleep looked between the two leaning over him. Both men could swear their hearts sped up ten-fold at the vulnerable sleep expression in their partners eyes. Even they rarely saw it, so even hurt, it had them smiling. “... What? Why are you staring?” 

“You’re cute, why wouldn’t I?” Reno chuckled, leaning in to brush his lips against Tseng’s briefly in the hint of a kiss and Rufus chuckled at the whine that followed. “I can kiss you properly when you’re a bit healthier and not struggling for a breath.” Reno promised with a wink, which earned him a small smile. “... Seriously, though, how you feeling?” He murmured. 

The smile faded and Rufus again wish he could keep it on his face. “Not much better.” Tseng mumbled the admission, and Reno sighed a bit, motioning for him to continue. “... My head is still throbbing. It’s nothi-” He started to assure them. 

“Don’t try and hide the pain you’re feeling, Tseng. We can’t look after you when you lie to us.” Rufus cut in. Brown eyes flicked over to stare before Tseng nodded a little. “... Why don’t we get you something to drink. You need to stay awake for a little but anyways.” He said after a moment, and Reno stood up again. “No, you’re not going to get it. You’re watching over him, Reno.” 

“Oh... Yeah, I got you, boss.” Reno lay back down, running his fingers through Tseng’s hair. “Can you get me a drink too?” 

“You two just rest and I’ll get everything.” Rufus murmured, kissing Reno briefly before brushing his lips against Tseng’s just as Reno had done moments prior. “I promise to be right back.” He whispered. 

“Alright.” Tseng relaxed into Reno, grumbling as the red head forced him to sit up. Rufus glanced back at them as he made his way to the door, pausing for a moment before slipping out and pulling out his phone. He sent a message to Rude telling him they had a meeting in the morning before going to make some tea for both his partners. Although the lingering doubt in the back of his head was still there. 

Reno had never once said he wasn’t upset with Rufus, only that he didn’t hate him. Rufus pushed the thought away as he turned the kettle on. If Reno really was upset with him, he would say something... 

Wouldn’t he?


	8. Identification

Reno was bored out of his mind, laying around the house. He had things that he could do, sure, it wasn’t like Rufus didn’t have things in his house that could pass the time. But the red head had little to no interest in any of them, so they really weren’t useful for him. He boredly tapped his fingers on his thigh with one hand, the other holding his phone up as he looked through his work emails and slowly answered them one by one.

Work emails. Reno had the time to relax right now without either of his bosses to yell at him, and he was working. A small sigh passed his lips as he sat up a bit, setting his phone on the bedside table and turning towards Tseng to stare at him. He had looked worse when they had first found him, Reno thought, reaching out to gently brush some hair away from Tseng’s face. A small frown curled his lips as he stared at the bandages that covered what he could see of the Director of the Turks. It made Reno’s blood boil to see the white bandages that covered his boss, and it only got worse as he noticed how much pain it was for Tseng to even breath right now.

“Shouldn’t have let you go out there without me, boss. I could have done something to help you out, kept you from going missing…” The red head muttered, shaking his head as he got up. He was just about to grab the pack of smokes he had and his phone when the bed moved. Reno stilled, watching as a hand wrapped around his wrist, holding it. Despite being injured, Tseng still had a pretty strong grip as brown eyes opened a little to focus on him.

“Reno… You’re beating yourself up over something you couldn’t control again. You know that you wouldn't have been able to stop it from happening... No one could have, they had separated me from Elena.” He said quietly, and Reno took a deep breath. He moved his arm out of Tseng’s grip, not looking over at him as he stared at the bedside table and at his phone. He had lost the urge to smoke now.

“Yeah, well, we don’t know what would have happened if it had been me instead of Elena with you.” He replied. His gaze flicked over as he heard a chuckle from Tseng. Reno almost scowled at that- he would have if he wasn’t so shocked to hear it. He couldn't see why him saying that was a joke- did Tseng think it was funny at all? Because Reno sure as hell didn't find it funny. He went to speak again before Tseng beat him to it.

“You would have ended up in the same position as Elena, Reno.” Tseng replied gently, clearing his throat. “Forgive me for laughing but… You know she isn’t some rookie anymore. I know you tease her with that, but she really has come a long way, from when she first joined our ranks.” He added. So that was why he had laughed- Elena always got annoyed at being called a rookie, and Reno still did it constantly to tease her anyways.

Reno shook his head a bit, opening his mouth to answer when his phone went off. He groaned softly, muttering under his breath about interruptions before picking it up without even glancing at the screen at all. “He-”

“We’ve got a problem.” Rufus said shortly, and Reno paused. For one he wasn't at all annoyed he had been cut off mid sentence. Judging by Rufus' tone it was serious. He shifted a bit, glancing at Tseng briefly. “Tseng’s ID card was just used downstairs. Rude and Elena are still out. I need you to head over here.”

“His ID…? How.” Reno demanded, standing up without even thinking as he put his things in his pockets, his phone tucked between his cheek and shoulder to make it easier. He hesitated once more, glancing over at Tseng again as he noticed the concerned look on his face. “We got everything back didn’t we?” He added, moving his phone to his other ear and putting his hand on his hip. Reno refused to meet the brown eyes focused on him.

“Apparently we didn’t- whatever Tifa found must have been a very well made fake one to throw us off. I need you to get to HQ immediately. I already sent Rude and Elena messages and they’re headed back but, since you’re closer to the office, I need you. I’m not involving anyone else until I know more.” Rufus said, a small sigh sounding as he shuffled some papers in the background. “I don’t trust any of the others, Reno.” He spoke so softly Reno almost thought he hadn’t said a word at all.

Reno stood silent for a moment as he thought. Finally, his gaze turned to look at the eyes that were focused on him the entire time. He stared at Tseng, not fully wanting to leave him alone and to tell Rufus he could damn well handle himself and they both knew it. But another part of him knew if this was the same people who went after Tseng, Rufus would be in trouble. Of course, there were staff that could watch over Tseng while he went, but Reno was in the same boat as Rufus here. He didn’t trust them. Especially not to look after the Director. “… Yes sir, I’ll be there soon.” He replied, not waiting for Rufus’ answer before hanging up. “Tseng-"

“Someone has my ID.” Tseng said softly. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “I… Should have noticed them taking my things, I suppose. But what’s done is done, I know that.” He held up a hand to stop Reno from trying to speak over him. “You need to head over to see Rufus and find out whose in the building. You deal with that, and come back after, I’ll be fine until then. I’m sure that someone else here can be trusted to take care of my for a few hours.” He added with a small knowing smile. After all these years, he'd learned to read Reno pretty well, and he knew that Rufus would have the same mistrust as well, until things were sorted.

That smile was almost enough to make Reno lay back down and kiss him until it never faded again, but he simply nodded and bent over to press his lips against Tseng's forehead. “Yeah… You get some rest, and I’ll go deal with the idiots trying to break in with your ID.” He muttered, smiling as Tseng mumbled about a proper kiss as he straightened again. “I’ll give you a proper kiss when you can handle me turning on the lights without your head hurting. Rest.” He ordered, before heading for the door.

“Alright, alright… Oh- and Reno?” Tseng squinted a bit as Reno opened the door. While the entire bedroom was dark, the small bit of light that was let in seemed to brighten things too much for him.

“Yeah?” Reno looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“If you run into any issues at HQ… Deal with it quickly. The mess can be cleaned up afterwards, that’s not a problem.” Tseng said, sounding more like the stoic leader he usually was, and Reno smirked a bit, nodding as he stepped out of the room.

“You got it, Director.” Reno said softly before shutting the door behind him and quickly starting down the hall. He didn’t slow even when he was in one of Rufus’ cars and headed down the highway right for the Shinra Building, ducking and weaving between cars and ignoring the loud honking as he did so. Whoever was in the Shinra Building was going to pay for what they did the moment he saw them, he thought with a scowl. The fact that they had decided to come right into the office only made that easier for him.


	9. Clean Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reno makes it to Rufus at HQ. Bursting through the door into his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a cameo here for a friends OC that I adore. She's really amazing so I had to ask and I'm so glad that they let me use Kai. I really hope I did her justice.

Rufus paced the office, glancing repeatedly at his phone to see if Reno had sent him a text that he had arrived. He had a deepening frown on his lips the longer he waited, though, and he flicked through his contacts until he reached the one he wanted. The phone barely rang before it was answered.

“Sir, is something wrong?” Kai asked, shifted a bit.

“No. I just wanted to make sure that you two are alright.” Rufus said, before clearing his throat. “Is Tseng sleeping?”

“The Director is currently just sitting with Pagoda- she seems really happy right now.” Kai smiled softly, and Rufus could swear he heard it in her voice before she spoke again. “You are on speaker, sir.” She added calmly and Rufus grimaced at the realization that Tseng had heard his question. He knew there was reassurance coming now, from the Director. But he almost didn't want to hear it- he wanted Tseng to get some rest.

“And I am fine. It has been no more than an hour- Kai and I are just sitting in bed, Rufus. We’re fine.” Tseng spoke up. “While she is a younger Turk she can handle watching over me for a short time. You need to have a little more faith in your Turks.” He said softly. The soothing words were both a comfort for Rufus, and an irritation. He should be the one comforting Tseng, not him doing it. Rufus wasn't the one who was injured here

Rufus grit his teeth, but he knew the meaning behind the words. Tseng could tell he had taken a hit on his trust, and he knew that Rufus needed the reassurance that he was in fact alright. Which was why he was being so calming with his words after all. But it still made an uncomfortable feeling bubble up in his gut. Blue eyes shut, as he squeezed the bridge of his nose and let out a slow breath. “Tseng-”

“Rufus, I need to go back to sleep. Reno should be there any minute… I apologize to cut it short here.” Tseng cleared his throat, and Rufus nodded a bit, lowering his hand to look out the window. Tseng wouldn't cut him off if he didn't really mean to sleep or mean it. Not that he had any chance of changing the man's mind. Even injured and stuck in a bed, Tseng was looking out for his wellbeing and making sure he was calm.

“I will head back as soon as work is finished. I promise.” He said before hanging up without waiting for so much as a good bye and moving back to his desk so he could set the phone down. He knew Tseng was right- Kai was a newer Turk, but she was very experienced all the same. Leaving her with Tseng helped him feel more at ease than he had before, knowing that if something went wrong she would be able to keep the Director safe.

His steps were calm and quiet as he made his way back to the windows, staring down over Midgar and holding his hands behind his back. When there was a loud shout and the door slammed open, he barely moved. Rufus stared for a few moments longer at the massive city sprawled out in front of him before turning around to face the man in his doorway.

“What the hall happened.” He demanded, moving forward as Reno closed the door, leaning on it. He had expected… Well, he didn’t know what. But he did not expect to see the red head come into his office with his jacket ruffled, blood all over his shirt, and his mag rod hanging from his wrist. One hand reached up, and Rufus noted it was shaking a bit as he wiped some of the blood off Reno’s cheek. He couldn’t look away as Reno grabbed his hand, holding it against the bloodied skin and letting out a slow breath.

“I dealt with them, boss. All four of em. They tried to sneak in, using Tseng’s card… It isn’t my blood.” He whispered, holding Rufus’ hand as he felt it start to clench. He didn’t move any closer, not wanting to ruin the suit Rufus assumed. That didn’t stop him from moving forward and hugging Reno tightly, not caring about his protests about ruining his clothes. It almost made him laugh that Reno was so concerned about his appearance.

“I thought it was, that you were hurt... Where were they? Which cameras?” Rufus demanded, as he pulled back. Reno stared, smiling a little as he made his way over to the desk with Rufus, leaning over to hit a few buttons and open up the screen. “Should I take the silence as there is a lot of clean up as well?” He asked and frowned at the small nod he received as an answer.

“Well it was four guys, and they taunted me with this. And said what they had done to him before tossing him to the market.” Reno tossed Tseng’s ID onto the desk, and Rufus put a hand on it. He left it there as he watched Reno confront them on the screen, glad the audio wasn’t on as they flashed Tseng’s card and said something. Whatever they said made the red head tense, and they continued to talk, not seeming to realize the danger they had put themselves in as the bloodied plastic was waved around like a trophy. It was the first thing to get knocked aside.

Seeing Reno actually fight was always something that had Rufus’ breath catch. The way the red head so suddenly flick out his magrod, before moving to knock down the first of the men. He narrowed his eyes as one of them hit Reno in the gut- no doubt trying to knock him down like they had Tseng- but the red head simply hit one of the others as he went to his knees, rolling out of the way of another swing at the knees of the third.

He didn’t stop hitting them all once they were down. He didn’t stop when there was no movement. Didn’t seem to register anything, until Rude moved into view, picking him up and pulling him off as Elena crouched near the bodies to check them. There was a long moment before the red head’s arms fell to his side, realizing who was holding onto him and Rufus turned away from the camera to pull Reno into his lap.

The red head simply curled up there, holding him tightly and closing his eyes. Rufus said nothing, just wrapped his arms as tight as he could around Reno. There was long moments of silence, as they sat there, before Reno lifted his head. Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Rufus opened his mouth. “You’re going to take the time off. Rude and Elena can clean up. You can send Kai back as well.” Rufus murmured, staring into the blue eyes focused on him. “I will be home tonight, to sit with you, and I will buy your favourite bottle of whatever you’d like on my way home.” He murmured.

“You’d think I was broken or something, Rufus… That’s not what’s-… I just wish they had been alive a little longer. So they could feel the pain they put Tseng through.” He muttered, leaning in to gently kiss Rufus. He pulled away after a moment, that tell-tale smirk on his lips as Rufus tried to follow him. “But… I’m not gonna turn down a chance to go home and sleep with Tseng.” He snickered as Rufus pulled him into another kiss. He didn’t pull away, happy to lean into it and moaning softly as Rufus’s hand slipped into his hair. Reno shifted to full straddle the blonde’s lap, before slowly pulling back from the kiss. He shifted a little, staring at the blonde.

“You know… I wasn’t ever mad at you, right?” He said suddenly, brushing some of Rufus’ hair out of his face. “I was just… It was all the worry, and stress. It really got to me-“ He was cut off as Rufus kissed him again, and he smiled into it. “That’s rude to interrupt, when I try to talk.”

“We can talk about it when we’re off work and back with Tseng. Now, go and stay with him.” Rufus ordered, shaking his head a little as Reno slowly got up with a small grumble about teasing. “When I get back, we’ll also discuss things in more detail.” He added, elbow coming to sit on the arm of the chair as he put his chin on his hand. Reno narrowed his eyes a little.

“Yeah yeah…. Alright.” Leaning over the president, Reno was unable to stop himself from kissing those pale lips one more time as he stared at Rufus. He smiled a bit as he pulled back, tugging at his jacket as he pulled back. “But you may wanna take a minute to clean up there boss. Your outfit has some blood on it, now.” He added before heading for the door.

“Send Rude and Elena up here after they’re done cleaning everything up.” He replied softly, hand on Reno’s hip when he started to move away. It slowly started to move further back, but Reno stopped him with a small grin. “What?” Rufus asked, not caring to hide the impatience as the grin only seemed to widen.

“We have to head back and talk to Tseng.” Reno pointed out. “And then I can spend the night takin care of you. Kai can take care of Tseng for one day, I’m sure.” The red head pulled back, nearly laughing at he growl from Rufus when he did. “Tonight, boss. I’m gonna head down and tell them. Then get a shower to clean off this shit.” He waved a hand over himself, the grin fading as he pursed his lips.

“Fine.” Rufus huffed a little, and Reno could swear there was a pout on his lips before he clicked a few buttons to watch Rude and Elena working on clean up for a moment. “Don’t call Tseng. He was going to sleep after I got off the phone with him and he needs the rest.” He added, glancing up to stare at Reno as he made his way for the door.

“You got it. I’ll see you at home, then, Rufus.” Reno tapped his fingers on the door for a brief moment before flashing a small smile and heading out. Rufus sighed softly as he looked back at the clean up currently happening and shaking his head. His hand moved to brush against the blood on his suit as he frowned deeply. It was always a pain to get blood out of his clothes.


	10. Back in the Office

Tseng tried not to grimace as he shifted in his seat. He had spent a lot of time out of the office- at least in his opinion he had. It had really only been a couple weeks that he had been out of the office and most of his wounds had all but healed, save for a few that he knew would scar and add more marks to his body. More failures, he thought wryly, foot tapping against he ground a little in thought.

He sighed softly, one hand absently rubbing his thigh under the desk as he flicked through one of the many reports that had been added to his desk. Tseng couldn’t do all that much work. But the problem was there was only so much that Reno and the others could take care of for him. Only so much that they could look over and hand in without him signing it. The others had all insisted, of course, that he simply hand things in since most of it was checked over. Of course Tseng had looked it all over and had to agree that yes, they were complete. But he wasn’t signing his name on something he didn’t read first, and even if the others had done it, there might have been something they had missed that he might be able to spot.

“You know, I looked over that one just before I put it on your desk.” Reno commented with a small frown, leaning against the front of Tseng’s desk and reading the paper upside down. “Hell, I went on that job myself with Rude, we both triple checked the entire thing before we even brought it to your desk. You don’t need to look it over.” The last words were gentle, as he leaned in even more, red hair falling over his shoulder and covering the words that Tseng was currently trying to read.

Tseng looked up at him from above his glasses, a small smile on his lips as he stared. He hadn’t bothered with new contacts, with how bad his headaches were, he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon anyways. “I’m fine. I already have to take a break in the next little bit for a meeting with Rufus.” He assured, sitting back in his seat as Reno pulled the paper away from him, a small smile curling up the corner of his lips. “And what, exactly, are you going to do with those papers?” He asked as Reno studied them and pursed his lips.

“I’m gonna look over em again while you go to your meeting. And these ones too.” Reno said simply, grabbing a stack of them and heading back to his desk. “Cause you won’t sign em until they’re looked over right?” He said, flopping down into his seat and Tseng shook his head a little, about to make a comment before Elena stepped up to his desk, the aroma of a new tea completely distracting him for a moment.

“Then I guess I should take these as well.” Elena slipped passed, setting a tea on his desk and grabbing another stack before he could even protest. She had nearly jumped him when she’d seen him again, apologizing profusely about leaving him behind the way she had, but now she seemed to have accepted that even if she had been with him, it wouldn’t have been any better for either of them.

“Hang on a moment.” Tseng stared at them as Rude took some of the papers from Reno, letting out a long sigh of frustration. There was no way he would be able to reason with all three of them, and in all honesty he appreciated them all looking over the papers one more time. For his own personal reasons, he needed to at least see they were being looked at again. He picked up his cup, taking a sip as he looked between them before his gaze focused on Reno again.

He stood up, moving over to Reno. He set his cup down on the empty space on the desk, taking the pen from him to sign he report that had been taken right out from under his nose second before as Reno went to say something about just leaving it be. “Thank you, Reno.” He murmured, tilting the red heads chin up into a kiss and Reno stared at him in shock as Rude chuckled softly and Elena playfully whistled from her seat, which only had Reno’s cheeks turning a darker red. “I’ll see you all after my meeting.” He said before leaving the room.

Glancing back briefly, he could see Reno still staring after him slack jawed, and simply winked as he let the door shut behind him and headed up to see Rufus. He only wondered how long it would take Reno to realize that he also needed to be in this meeting as well. He stopped briefly in to see Rufus, and while he raised an eyebrow at the fact that Tseng was alone, he didn't say anything on the matter, but led the way to their seats as Tseng set his tea down in favor of picking up his tablet instead.

Sure enough, five minutes into it, the doors opened and Reno slid in, making his way across the room. He pulled a chair over to beside where Tseng was busy taking notes for Rufus as he talked, taking the tablet from him. “Lemme do this.” He murmured softly, leaning in so as to make it look like he was simply whispering the words, even as he placed a gentle kiss against Tseng’s ear. "I'm glad we found you."

"... Me too, Reno." Tseng sat back after a moment with a nod and murmured a small thanks as Rufus passed him his tea without breaking away from what he was saying. It was good to be home, he thought to himself as he focused on Rufus as the blonde talked. It really was.


End file.
